winters



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. WINTERS, Jr. Cylindrical-Valve.

No. 225,677. gatented Mar. 16, 180.

2Sheets-Sheet 2. P. WINTERS, Jr. Cylindrical-Valve.

No. 225,677. I Patnted Mar. 16,1880.

Fla. .9

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS WINTERS, JR, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

CYLINDRICAL VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,677, dated March 16, 1880.

Application filed January 5, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS WINTERS, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Cylindrical Valves, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cylindrical valves for steam, gas, and air en gines, the improvements being especially applicable to a hollow cylindrical chambered valve contained in a casing or chest and rotated by and in unison with the crank-shaft of a steam, gas, or air engine, the said valve having two sets of ports and being adjustable longitudinally in its chest, so that one or other of the two sets of ports may be brought into action, or both out of action, as the stopping, starting, and reversing of the engine may requIre.

The main object of my invention is to maintain the valve tight against its seat in the casing under all circumstances, and thisobject I attain by admitting the steam to the exterior of the valve and exhausting through the same, and by causing the steam at the entrance to the casing or chest to force a piston against the valve, and consequently" to force the valve itself against its seat in the said chest.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a view of my invention as applied to a valve with duplex system of ports and valve-chest, the latter being in section; Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, transverse sections of the valve, respectively, on the lines 1 1, 2 2, 3 3, 4 4, 5 5,6 6; and Figs. 8 and 9, Sheet 2, views of the valve and chest, showing the former in different positions.

B is the valve, adapted to the valve chest or casing A, and made in the form of a hollow cylinder, from which, at a central point, projects a cylindrical branch, to, containing a packed piston, 12, which is connected by rods to a smaller piston, 0, adapted to a cylinder, d, secured to or forming part of the cylindrical branch at.

Steam is admitted through a branch, 6, to the space between the two pistons, and thence, through a central opening, f, in the larger piston b, to the interior of the valve B, when a steam-port of the latter coincides with the said opening f.

In Fig. 1 there is no port to receive the steam from the said opening, for the reason that in that view the valve has been adjusted to a position which determines the stoppage of the engine, as will be explained hereinafter.

The area of the piston b is so much in excess of that of the piston c, the upper surface of which is exposed to the atmosphere, that the said piston 11 will always be forced against that portion of the interior of the casing where the ports In m, communicating with the interior of the cylinder of the engine, occur.

The smaller cylinder d and its piston 0 might be dispensed with and the top of the branch a of the steam-chest closed, in which case there would always be a pressure of steam on the piston 11; but I prefer the arrangement described above. This feature of my invention may be applied to ordinary cylindrical valves.

The steam is exhausted from the cylinder of the engine through the valve, and escapes at both ends of the same, and thence through passages n n, found, in the present instance, in the covers W W, secured to the ends of the cylindrical chest A, these passages communicating with suitable exhaust-pipes.

A va1ve-rod,(l, passes through and is secured to the valve B, and also passes through stuffing-boxes in the covers W W of the valvechest, one end of the rod being connected by suitable appliances to stopping, starting, and reversing mechanism, by which the said valve may be adjusted longitudinally in its chest to either of the three positions explained hereinafter, the rod and valve being rotated from and in unison with the crank-shaft of the engme.

As before remarked, when the valve is in the position shown in Fig. 1, where it is midway between the limits of its movements in both directions, no steam can pass from the opening f in the piston b to the interior of the valve, for the reason that while the valve is in this position no ports are presented to the said opening f,- butwhen the valve has been moved longitudinally in its chest in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, to the position shown in Fig.

8, Sheet 2, two ports, h h, Fig. 5, will, as the valve rotates, be brought alternatelyopposite the opening fin the piston I), one of these ports communicating through a passage in the valve with a port, 6, Figs. 3 and S, and the other, through another passage in the valve, with a port, 2', Figs. 7 and 8, in the same, these two ports t i hearing such relation to each other and to the ports m m of the steam-cylinder that as the valve rotates steam will be directed, first, to the cylinder on one side of the piston, and then to the cylinder on the opposite side of the piston but while the steam is being directed to the cylinder on one slde of the piston it is being exhausted from the opposite side in the following manner:

There is in the valve a depression, j, Figs. 7

. and 8, which communicates with a port through an exhaust-chamber within the valve and extending entirely through the same, this exhaust-chamber being separated by suitable partitions from the steam-chambers previously referred to. There is a similar depression, j, Figs. 3 and 8, in the valve, near the opposite end of the same, and as the valve rotates these depressions, during a portion of the valves revolution, are brought opposite the ports on m of the cylinder. These exhaust depressions and ports bear such relation to each other, to the above-described steam-ports, and to the ports m m of the cylinder that while steam is admitted through one of the latter ports to the cylinder on one side of the piston steam will be exhausted through the other port and through the valve from the opposite side of the piston.

When the valve has to be reversed, it must be moved to the position shown in Fig. 9, Sheet 2, when the valve-ports above referred to, and shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 7, will be entirely out of action, and a new set of steamports and exhaust-ports in the same valve, and shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 6, will be brought into play, these ports being precisely similar to those described above, but differently arranged, so that they will perform their duties properly when the rotary motion of the valve is secured with the reversal of the engine.

The new set of steam-admission ports in the valve are indicated by the letters to w in Figs. 4 and 9, the new set of steam-outlet ports by the letters 00 00, Figs. 2 and 6, and the new sets of exhaust depressions and ports by the letters 3 3 Figs. 2 and 6, and the relation of these ports to those first referred to will be understood by comparing the sections Figs. 2, 4, and 6 with the sections Figs. 3, 5, and 7.

The mode of so partitioning the interior of the valve as to separate the exhaust-passages from the steam-passages will be readily understood by perusing the views 6 to 7, inclusive, and comparing them with the other views.

1 do not claim to be the first to make a rotary cylindrical and longitudinally-adjustable valve with two sets of steam and exhaust ports for the purpose of stopping, starting, and reversing an engine, such a valve having been heretofore described, in whiclnhowever, steam was introduced into the valve at one or both ends of the same and exhausted through the sidesa plan which rendered the maintenance ofthe valve tightin the chest almost impossible.

By introducing the steam into the sides of the valve and exhausting it through the ends of the same I am enabled to keep the valve tight to its seat, and this tightness is enhanced by the pressure of steam on the piston I).

My invention is especially adapted to airengines in which great pressure is used, and in which great difficulty has been experienced in keeping the valves tight.

I claim as my invention l. A rotating and longitudinally-adjustable valve having an unbroken exterior central portion for closing the steam-inlet in stopping the engine, and duplex ports and passages, arranged substantially as described, in combination with achest having an inlet for the admission of steam to the exterior of the valve, and having ports m m, through which steam may be alternately admitted to the cylinder of the engine and exhausted therefrom through the valve, all substantially as described.

2. The combination of a cylindrical valve and its casing or chest with a piston bearing against the side of the valve and arranged to be exposed to the pressure of steam, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FBANOIS WINTERS, JR.

Witnesses:

S. H. PRETZFELDER, FREDK. BAKER. 

